Electronic device with an increased flexural rigidity

ABSTRACT

An electronic device including at least one electronic component, such as a processor and a housing enclosing the at least one electronic component. The housing including a top skin forming an outer surface of the housing, a bottom skin forming an inner surface of the housing and facing the at least one electronic component, and a core sandwiched by the top skin and the bottom skin. The core is made from a first material having a first modulus of elasticity and the top skin and the bottom skin are made from a second material having a second modulus of elasticity, the second modulus greater than the first. The inner surface of the housing is positioned above the at least one electronic component such that a clearance level is defined between the inner surface of the housing and the at least one electronic component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation patent application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/788,062, filed May 26, 2010 and titled“Electronic Device Enclosure Using Sandwich Construction,” thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

I. Technical Field

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to housings, and morespecifically to housings for electronic devices formed from multiplematerials.

II. Background Discussion

Many electronic devices, including portable devices, have housings madeof plastic. Plastic enclosures tend to be relatively inexpensive andsimple to manufacture but may be brittle and crack under relatively lowstresses or impacts. Other electronic devices have metal housings. Metalcasings are durable but may be heavier and/or more expensive tomanufacture than an equivalently-sized plastic casing.

Some electronic devices use a reinforced plastic housing. For example,certain devices may have a housing formed from carbon fiber reinforcedplastic (CFRP). A standard CFRP may be made of multiple layers, each ofwhich typically has carbon fibers aligned in a plastic matrix such thatthe fibers all extend in substantially the same direction within thatlayer. The carbon fibers impart structural strength and resistance tobending and breaking against force applied transversely to the length ofthe fibers. CFRP materials generally have a high strength to weightratio and weight to stiffness ratio. However, CFRP materials generallydo not resist bending or stresses applied in a direction transverse tothe length of the carbon fibers. Further, CFRP may be thicker than acorresponding plastic or metal electronics enclosure having similarweight and/or stiffness.

It is desirable in many instances for portable electronics to be lightweight and be as thin as possible. Therefore, the materials currentlyused for portable electronics (including CFRP, metal and plastic) maynot be desirable for every application, as they may be too heavy, toothick or they may not provide enough structural support.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure may take the form of an electronic deviceincluding at least one electronic component and a housing enclosing theat least one electronic component. The housing including a top skinforming an outer surface of the housing, a bottom skin forming an innersurface of the housing and facing the at least one electronic component,and a core sandwiched by the top skin and the bottom skin. The core ismade from a first material having a first modulus of elasticity and thetop skin and the bottom skin are made from a second material having asecond modulus of elasticity, the second modulus greater than the first.The inner surface of the housing is positioned above the at least oneelectronic component such that a clearance level is defined between theinner surface of the housing and the at least one electronic component.

Other embodiments of the disclosure may take the form of a computerincluding a processor, a display in communication with the processor,and an enclosure enclosing at least one of the processor or the display.The enclosure includes a first skin having a first thickness, a secondskin having a second thickness and a core having a third thicknesssandwiched between the first skin and the second skin. The core has ismore flexible than the first skin and the second skin and the thirdthickness is greater than the first thickness and the second thickness.

Yet other embodiments of the disclosure may take the form of anelectronic device having at least one electronic component. Theelectronic device includes a housing enclosing the at least oneelectronic component. The housing includes a top skin, a bottom skin,and a body sandwiched by the top skin and the bottom skin. The body ismade from a first material having a first modulus of elasticity and thetop skin and the bottom skin are made from a second material having asecond modulus of elasticity, the second modulus greater than the first.The top skin forms an outer shell of the housing and the bottom skinforms an inner shell of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a side isometric view of a laptop in an openconfiguration.

FIG. 1B illustrates a plan view of external components of the laptopillustrated in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of a solid housing for electroniccomponents viewed along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is plan view of a sandwich configuration.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view along line 2-2 in FIG. 1 of the sandwichconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 3, installed as a housing forelectronic components.

FIG. 5A is a cross-section view of an embodiment of the housingillustrated in FIG. 4 viewed along line 2-2 in FIG. 1, where theelectronic components include an electronic protrusion.

FIG. 5B is a cross-section view of another embodiment of the housingillustrated in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing ahousing including the sandwich configuration.

The use of the same reference numerals in different drawings indicatessimilar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed towards housings forelectronic components. In some embodiments, carbon fiber reinforcedplastic (CFRP) materials are assembled in a sandwich configurationaround a core material, such that the CFRP material forms a “skin”enclosing, partially enclosing, extending across surfaces of, orextending from the core material. The sandwich structure orconfiguration may then be used to enclose and otherwise provide housingfor electronic components, such as those used for portable electronics.The core of the sandwich material in some embodiments is foam,honeycomb, end grain balsa, and/or other relatively lightweightmaterials. The CFRP materials in these embodiments may form an outer andinner layer with the core material positioned therebetween, such thatthe CFRP material may generally encase or overlay at least portions ofthe core. In some embodiments, the core may be made from a materialhaving a lower density than that of the outer and inner layers. Incertain embodiments, the sandwich structure may be lighter in weight andstronger than a similar structure formed of non-sandwiched CFRPmaterials, aluminum, steel, plastic, and the like. The sandwichconfiguration may provide lighter weight and have a higher flexuralrigidity than housing made of solid materials, because the distancebetween the two layers of CFRP materials may be increased while aminimum amount of weight is added through the use of the interiormaterial. In other words, the interior or core material is generallylighter than the sandwiching material and thus provides a weight savingsover the use of a structure made entirely from the sandwiching materialand having similar dimensions.

Additionally, in these embodiments, the sandwich structure may reduce aclearance necessary for encasing electronic components, for example inlaptops, smart phones, and the like. Generally, electronics enclosuresare designed to include a space between the enclosed electronics and aninner surface of the housing to account for flexing, bending and otherdeformations of the housing resulting from impacts, pressures and thelike. The clearance is sufficient to prevent the housing and interiorelectronics from contacting one another even when the housing isdeformed. The exact dimensions and nature of such clearance depends onmany factors including the overall size of the electronic device,maximum stresses for which the housing is designed, the types ofelectronics enclosed and so on.

This clearance between the housing and the electronic components may bereduced because the sandwich configuration may provide better structuralintegrity, e.g., have a higher flexural rigidity than other housingmaterials. The higher the flexural rigidity, the less the material maybend in response to a force. Thus, because the sandwich configuration isgenerally stiffer and less likely to bend inwards in response to anexternal force than a single-material housing, the electronic componentsmay be placed closer to the housing, and the clearance reducedaccordingly.

The sandwich configuration allows for the strength and flexuralresistance of the housing or case to be increased while maintaining theoriginal thickness of the housing. In this manner, a housing may be madeof a sandwich construction in the same dimensions as a single-materialhousing without increasing the thickness of housing or associateelectronic device. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished becauseof the increased flexural rigidity may allow for a decrease in clearancebetween the housing and the electronic components encased inside thehousing. Similarly, the sandwich configuration may also allow for asignificant weight reduction without a decrease in performance or changein exterior shape.

One skilled in the art will understand that the following descriptionhas broad application. For example, while embodiments disclosed hereinmay take the form of casing or housing materials for portable electronicdevices, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed hereinequally apply to housing for non-portable electronics. Furthermore,while embodiments may be discussed herein with respect to CFRPmaterials, other materials having a relatively similar modulus ofelasticity may be used. Also, for the sake of discussion, theembodiments disclosed herein are discussed with respect to casing orhousing materials for electronic devices; however, these concepts applyto areas outside of the electronic devices context, e.g., to generalconstruction techniques, storage and/or luggage design, and the like.Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to beexemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of thedisclosure, including the claims, is limited to these embodiments.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a laptop, and FIG. 1Billustrates the external housing components the laptop 10 in an explodedview. The laptop 10 may include a screen housing 12 and a body housing14. The screen housing 12 may include a screen back panel 20 thatencases a back portion of a screen 24, as well as a screen front panel22, which encases or secures a front portion of the screen 24.Essentially, the screen or other display may be enclosed by thecombination of screen front and back panels.

The housing generally provides protection and security for the internalcomponents and may prevent the connections and components from beingdamaged due to a user dropping, throwing, scratching, denting, or thelike, the laptop 10. The screen housing 12 generally is used to providesupport, strength and protection for the laptop 10 screen 24, as well asany other electronic components that may be located in a top piece ofthe laptop 10. In other embodiments, the screen housing 12 may consistof a single integrated piece of construction, as opposed to the twoseparate pieces (screen back housing 24, and screen front housing 22)illustrated in FIG. 1B. Similarly, the body housing 14 may include akeyboard panel 15, that surrounds or overlies a top portion of akeyboard 18 as well as a body back panel 16 that surrounds the otherinternal components of the laptop 10. The body housing 14, in additionto securing and supporting the keyboard 18, may also encase otherfunctional electrical components of the laptop 10, such as a processor,hard drive or other memory, power circuits, and the like. In addition tothe aforementioned panels, one or more sidewalls may cooperate toenclose the keyboard, screen or other electronic components. Thesidewall(s) may be formed contiguously with one or both of the panels orformed separately.

It should be noted that the housing components (e.g., the screen housing12 and body housing 14) may be configured in multiple configurationsdepending on the structure of the laptop 10. For example, in someinstances the laptop 10 may be a tablet computer, and as such omit thekeyboard 18. In these embodiments, the body housing 14 may be omittedand the screen housing 12 may encase the screen 24 as well the otherelectronic components (e.g., processor, hard drive, and the like).Further, although a laptop 10 has been illustrated, the disclosureherein applies to housing used for a variety of portable andnon-portable electronic devices, such as smart phones, digital cameras,personal digital assistants, mobile telephones, audio devices, desktopcomputers, computer monitors, and the like. Additionally, the disclosureherein may also apply to other non-electronic applications, such asstorage boxes, luggage, non-digital cameras, and other applications thatmay require lightweight, high flexural rigidity casing.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a solid housing 28 that may be usedwith the laptop 10. The solid housing 28 may be implemented as eitherthe screen housing 12 and/or the body housing 14 and may be constructedout of aluminum, plastic, steel, magnesium, or titanium. In theseconstructions the solid housing 28 may have a set clearance W from theelectronic components 26, because the solid housing 28 may deform orflex inwards when force is exerted on the solid housing 28. If there wasno clearance or distance between the electronic components 26 and thesolid housing 28, then the solid housing 28 may damage the electroniccomponents 26 when an external force is exerted on the housing 28. Forexample, if the solid housing 28 is dropped it may deform (due to theforce produced by being dropped), when the solid housing 28 deforms orflexes inwards, it may hit portions of the electronic components 26within the device. Therefore, the clearance W may be set such that solidhousing 28 may deform up to a distance W before hitting the electroniccomponents 26. These embodiments help to protect the laptop 10 fromdamage. For example, when a laptop 10 is dropped, the solid housing 28absorbs the force and may deform in response. Typically laptops 10 areengineered to deform up to a set clearance level W without damaging theelectronic components 26. In some instances, the clearance level W maybe dependent upon the anticipated structural loads that the device(e.g., the laptop 10) may encounter, as well as the sensitivity of theelectronic components 26. For example, the screen housing 12 of thelaptop 10 may include a larger clearance than the body housing 14, dueto the fact that the screen 24 may be more easily damaged.

The amount that the solid housing 28 material may deform under differentforce conditions may depend on the bending resistance or stiffness ofthe material, also known as the flexural rigidity. The flexural rigiditydetermines how flexible a material may be and how much the material maydeform or bend when force is exerted onto the material. The flexuralrigidity may be described as a product of the modulus of elasticity forparticular material and the area of inertia. This relationship for arectangular cross section of a beam may be illustrated by Eq. 1 listedbelow.

$\begin{matrix}{D = \frac{E*b*t^{3}}{12}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1}\end{matrix}$

In Eq. 1, D represents the flexural rigidity of the beam, E is themodulus of elasticity for the material, b represents the width of thebeam and t is the thickness of the beam.

As discussed with regard to FIG. 2, the clearance level W depends on theflexural rigidity of the solid housing 28. For example if the solidhousing 28 has a low flexural rigidity the clearance W is higher as thesolid housing 28 will deform more severely than a solid housing 28material with larger flexural rigidity. Therefore, if the solid housing28 is made out of aluminum, the clearance W may be set to be relativelylarge as aluminum is flexible and deforms to, as opposed to resisting,external forces. In electronic devices it may be desirable to form thehousing out of materials that have a large flexural rigidity in order tobetter prevent large deformations, and thus better protect theelectronic components 26 from damage due to bumps, drops, scratches, andthe like.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of the disclosure having asandwich configuration 30 that may be used to create a housing 38. FIG.3 is a plan view of the sandwich configuration 30, and FIG. 4 is across-section view of the sandwich configuration 30 used as the housing38 to protect the electronic components 26. The housing 38 may be usedto protect the internal components of the laptop 10, as well as otherdevices. The sandwich configuration 30 may include a top layer 32, abottom layer 34 and a core 36. The top layer 32 and the bottom layer 34may surround or substantially encase the core 36, for instance, thelayers 32, 34 may act as “skins” that form the outside coating of thecore 36. In these embodiments, the layers 32, 34 may be connected to thecore 36, as well as separated from each other by the core 36. In someembodiments, the top layer 32 and bottom layer 34 may be CFRP materials,and the layers 32, 34 may be bonded to the core 36 or otherwiseattached. The layers 32, 34 may be bonded to the core 36 via epoxy, heatsealing, fasteners, or any other methods or materials that can securethe layers 32, 34 to the core 36.

The core 36 forms the middle portion of the sandwich configuration 30and in some embodiments the core 36 is a light weight and/or lightdensity material. In some embodiments the core 36 may be a foam, such aspolymethacrylimide closed cell foam, urethane closed cell foam,polyurethane closed cell foam or the like. In these embodiments, closedcell foams may be used, as open cell foams may absorb resin and gainweight during processing. However, in other embodiments open cell foamsmay be used. In still other embodiments, the core 36 may be a honeycombstructure material, such as aluminum honeycomb, an aramid paperhoneycomb, or the like. In further embodiments, the core 36 may be endgrain balsa or other similarly light weight materials. Thus, the core 36may be a lighter-weight material than the layers 32, 34, as such thatincreasing the thickness of the core 36 may not significantly increasethe overall weight of the sandwich configuration 30. Similarly, in someembodiments, the core 36 may be a material having a lower density thanthat of the layers 32, 34.

The sandwich configuration 30 may increase the overall flexural rigidityof the housing 38, while the overall thickness (e.g., the height) of thesandwich configuration 30 may remain substantially the same. Eq. 1illustrates relationship for determining the flexural rigidity of thesolid housing 28. The flexural rigidity of the sandwich configuration 30may be represented by Eq. 2 listed below, where the housing 38 includestwo layers and a core. In Eq. 2, E_(L) is the modulus of elasticity forthe top layer 32, and the bottom layer 34; b represents the width of thebeam; t_(L) represents thickness of each of the layers 32, 34; drepresents the distance between the centroids of the layers 32, 34; andt_(C) represents the thickness of the core 36.

$\begin{matrix}{D = {\frac{E_{L}*b*t_{L}^{3}}{6} + \frac{E_{L}*b*t_{L}*d^{2}}{2} + \frac{E_{C}*b*t_{C}^{3}}{12}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 2}\end{matrix}$

In some embodiments, the core 36 may be a material with a significantlylower modulus of elasticity than the layers 32, 34. In theseembodiments, Eq. 2 may be reduced to Eq. 3 listed below, as the modulusof elasticity for the core 36 may be ignored because it does notsignificantly affect the overall flexural rigidity.

$\begin{matrix}{D = {\frac{E_{L}*b*t_{L}^{3}}{6} + \frac{E_{L}*b*t_{L}*d^{2}}{2}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 3}\end{matrix}$

As shown in Eq. 3, depending on the modulus of elasticity for layers 32,34 material, the flexural rigidity of the sandwich configuration 30 (D)may be significantly influenced by the distance (d) between thecentroids of the layers 32, 34. As such, in some embodiments, byincreasing the thickness of the core 36 the distance (d) between thecentroids of the layers 32, 34 may be increased. In these embodiments,the core 36 material may be significantly lighter weight than thematerial for the layers 32, 34. Therefore, the distance between thecentroids for the two layers 32, 34 may be increased (increasing theoverall flexural rigidity), but the sandwich configuration 30 mayexperience only a small corresponding gain in weight. In other words,for embodiments where the core 36 may be constructed out of light weightmaterial (e.g., foam, honeycomb, balsa, and the like), the distancebetween the centroids of the top layer 32 and the bottom layer 34 may beincreased, without significantly increasing the total overall weight ofthe sandwich configuration 30. Therefore, in some embodiments, thesandwich configuration 30 may be used to create a lighter housing 38than the solid housing 28, and the housing 38 may have a strongerflexural rigidity than the solid housing 28 (such as that shown in FIG.2). For example, in order to increase the overall flexural rigidity ofthe solid housing 28, the thickness (or distance) for the material mustbe increased, which may significantly increase the overall weight of thesolid housing 28 because the solid material may be substantial and thusheavier. Whereas with the sandwich configuration 30 the distance may beincreased without significantly increasing the weight of the housing 38or the device.

It should also be appreciated that embodiments disclosed herein may useless material in the layers 32, 34 where the layers overlie or contactthe core 36 than where the core is not present. That is, the layers 32,34 may be pared away or thinned adjacent the core but not elsewhere. Insome embodiments, the outer edges, and/or areas near the outer edges,may be made of layers having more material (or more constituentsheets/layers of material) than in the middle of a housing, where theaforementioned sandwich configuration may be used. Thus, returning toFIG. 1 for an example, the inner sections of panels 20, 22 may besandwich configurations while the portions of the housing at or near theedges lack the sandwich configuration and are made from a singlematerial (or a single material wrapped around a frame).

As discussed with respect to Eq. 3, the sandwich configuration 30 may beused to create a lighter housing 38 including a higher flexural rigiditythan a singular material construction, e.g., the solid housing 28.Referring now to FIG. 4, the sandwich configuration 30 may be used forhousing 38 for electronic components 26 (such as the internal componentsto the laptop 10 in FIG. 1). The top layer 32 and bottom layer 34surround the core 36 and the entire configuration 30 surrounds theelectronic components 26. In these embodiments, the clearance 24 betweenthe housing 38 and the electronic components 26 may be lower than theclearance W illustrated in FIG. 2, as the sandwich configuration 30 mayhave a stronger flexural rigidity, and thus require a smaller clearancelevel to adequately protect the electronic components 26. For example,the clearance level may be decreased for the housing 38 (as comparedwith the solid housing 28) because the sandwich configuration 30 maydeform less (that is, be stiffer) than the solid material used for thesolid housing 28. Because the sandwich configuration 30 may be lesslikely to deform drastically, the distance between the housing 38 andthe electronic components 26 may be reduced, while allowing the housing38 to provide the same or better level of protection.

In other embodiments, the clearance between the electronic components 26and the housing 38 may remain the same as shown in FIG. 2, for instancein applications where a significant amount of protection for theelectronic components 26 is desired. In some embodiments, any decreasein the clearance level may require a corresponding increase in theflexural rigidity of the housing 38. For example, in these embodiments,if the clearance is reduced by 50% the flexural resistance may beincreased by 50%. In these embodiments, the modulus of rigidity isinversely proportional to the deformation of the panel under a givenforce. Therefore, if the clearance is reduced by 50% and the modulus ofrigidity is increased by 50% the design clearance for the given forcemay remain the same.

In these embodiments, the overall performance of the housing 38 mayremain consistent (or better than) the solid housing 28, as illustratedin FIG. 2. For example if the solid housing 28 is made out of a singlematerial, such as aluminum, with a set clearance level, the housing 38using the sandwich configuration 30, may have a stronger flexuralrigidity and therefore require lower clearance level, be lighter weightand have the same or better structural loading performance.

In some embodiments, the overall thickness for the case including thesolid housing 28 or the housing 38 may remain consistent. For example,although the overall thickness of the solid material used in the solidhousing 28 may be less than the overall thickness of the sandwichconfiguration 30, the total overall thickness for both the solid housing28 and the housing 38 may remain the same. This may be the case becausethe housing 38 incorporating the sandwich configuration 30 may have ahigher flexural rigidity and thus may only require a clearance levelthat is a fraction of the clearance level required for the solid housing28.

FIGS. 5A and 5 b illustrate some embodiments of the housing 38 used toprovide a case for electronic components 26, where the electroniccomponents 26 may include an electronic device 40 that generallyprotrudes within the housing. In some embodiments, the housing 38 may betailored to accommodate protrusions for electronic elements. Referringto FIGS. 5A and 5B, an electronic device 40 is located on the electroniccomponents 26 plate. The electronic device 40 may be a component whichmay be larger/taller than the other components, for example a harddrive, processors, and the like. In FIG. 5A, the sandwich configuration30 may have a substantially consistent width/thickness throughout thelength of the electronic components 26. In these embodiments, theminimum clearance level required to protect the electronic components26, including the electronic device 40, may be measured from the top ofthe electronic device 40. In other words, the clearance for the otherareas of the electronic components 26 may be more than is necessary dueto the added height of the electronic device 40. These embodiments mayresult in an additional thickness being added to the overall device,such as the laptop 10. Also, in these embodiments, the core 36 mayremain substantially the same thickness throughout the entire length ofthe housing 38.

FIG. 5B illustrates other embodiments of the housing 38 incorporatingthe sandwich configuration 30. As shown in FIG. 5B, the height of theclearance between the sandwich configuration 30 and the electronicdevice 40 may be adjusted around the electronic device 40. Thisadjustment area 42 may be raised to provide the minimum amount ofclearance between the bottom layer 34 and the top of the electronicdevice 40. In these embodiments, the core 36 may be reduced by adistance 44, such that the height of the top layer 32 compared with thebottom level of the electronic components 26, may remain consistentthroughout the length of the electronic components 26.

In some embodiments the layers 32, 34 may be formed via a single moldingprocess, which may allow for localized adjustments in height and widthfor the housing 38. These embodiments may provide a more streamlined andthinner overall device, because the although there may be an electronicdevice 40, the clearance level may be specifically set over theprotrusion 40, rather than increasing the total clearance level. Forexample, in some embodiments, the electronic device 40 may be lesssensitive than the other electronic components 26 and thereforethickness of the sandwich configuration 30 may be thinner over theelectronic device 40.

In certain embodiments, a frame may be constructed from a first materialand CFRP wrapped therearound to form the outer skin of the electronicshousing 38. The frame may be made, for example, from magnesium to affordboth structural strength and a light weight. In alternative embodimentsdifferent materials may be employed to form the frame, such as one ormore metals, ceramics, composites, plastics and the like.

In certain embodiments, the CFRP skin may be formed from multiple layersof CFRP material, each of which may have the carbon fibers aligned in adifferent direction than adjacent layers. In one embodiment, eightlayers of CFRP material are placed together to make the CFRP skin aboutthe magnesium frame. Where a foam or other inner material is used tocreate the aforementioned sandwich configuration, the CFRP is thinnedsuch that a fewer number of layers is present. That is, adding thelayers used to make the inner and outer surfaces of the “sandwich”yields fewer layers than are used when the sandwich configuration is notpresent. Continuing the prior example, four layers of CFRP material maybe removed so that two layers are present on either side of the innerfoam when constructing the electronic housing. Thus, certain sections ofthe housing may have eight layers of CFRP material, while other sectionsuse a foam and four layers of CFRP material, namely two above and twobelow the foam.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart generally depicting a process for manufacturing asample electronic housing. First, a frame may be manufactured inoperation 600. In some embodiments, the frame may be made from magnesiumas previously mentioned. The frame may be generally rectangular or anyshape desired. Typically, the frame does not include any solid panels(such as the front panel, back panel and the like) as these panels willbe formed from a sandwich configuration of CFRP and foam or othersuitable materials, but in some embodiments the frame may define one ormore panels.

In operation 605, the external skin of the housing may be molded fromCFRP. This is generally accomplished by forming the various panelsand/or sidewalls from a multi-layered CFRP material. The magnesium framemay be placed in a mold with CFRP material and heated to a certaintemperature. When the temperature is reached, the CFRP material maybecome liquid and flow about the frame and into a desired shape. Thismay be controlled, for example, through the use of anappropriately-configured mold. In some embodiments, the magnesium framemay be bonded to the CFRP material, for instance by adhesive or thelike. In these embodiments, the CFRP may be bonded to the magnesiumframe after the CFRP has been molded into the desired shape.

In operation 610, the CFRP may be machined in certain areas to removeone or more layers. This is an optional operation in certainembodiments. Generally, the CFRP is machined where foam will bedeposited to form the sandwich configuration.

In operation 615, a foam or other suitable material is placed in themachined areas of the CFRP and bonded thereto. As previously mentioned,the bonding between the CFRP and foam may take many forms.

Next, in operation 620, additional layers of CFRP may be placed over thefoam. These additional layers may bond not only to the foam, but also toadjacent portions of the housing formed from CFRP or another suitablematerial. In this manner, the foam may be sandwiched between two layersof CFRP and those layers may be integrally joined to the rest of thehousing. Typically, although not necessarily, the inner CFRP layermatched the contour of the foam. In other embodiments, the CFRP materialand the core material (i.e. foam) may be placed into a single mold andcured together.

After the housing has cured from the foregoing operations, in operation625 it may be machined to provide cutouts, raised features and the likein the inner or outer surfaces of the housing. It may be desirable, forexample, to form guide and/or attachment features within the innerhousing to allow electronic components to be more precisely aligned andattached to the housing. In some embodiments, a first or outer layer ofCFRP may be cured to a first side of the core material and then thefirst skin (e.g. CFRP outer layer) and the core may be machined toaccommodate the desired shape, and then the second skin may be added.For instance, the CFRP outer layer and the core may be machined toaccommodate the electronic device 40, as illustrated in FIG. 5B. Oncethe outer layer CFRP and the core have been machined to the propershape, the inner skin may be molded over the core.

In operation 630, the electronics may be placed within the housing.Next, in operation 635, the panels of the housing may be sealed togetherand cured to form the final product.

In certain embodiments, operations described in FIG. 6 may be employedto manufacture various housing panels which may then be later assembledtogether to form the housing Accordingly, it should be understood thatthe foregoing method of manufacture is an example and other ways willoccur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, in certainembodiments fewer layers of CFRP (or other suitable material) may bebonded to the frame in operation 605. In these embodiments, no CFRPneeds to be machined way prior to the placement of the inner sandwichmaterial. Instead, after the inner sandwich material is placed, one ormore CFRP layers (or layers of other suitable material) may be placedover the entire assembly as opposed to just the foam portions. Thehousing may then be cured to join the CFRP layers together. In certainembodiments the overall thickness of the panels formed by this methodmay be no more than 1.4 millimeters.

It should be appreciated that embodiments described herein may attemptto use relatively little foam or other inner sandwich material. That is,embodiments may seek to place the CFRP panels only slightly apart fromone another in order to gain strength but not sacrifice overall size orbecome too heavy. By removing just a portion of the CFRP material andreplacing it with foam in a thin core, significant weight savings may beachieved.

Although embodiments have been described herein with reference toparticular methods of manufacture, shapes, sized and materials ofmanufacture, it will be understood that there are many variationspossible to those skilled in the art. For example other polymers and/orcomposites may be used in place of CFRP. Accordingly, the proper scopeof protection is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: at least oneelectronic component; and a housing enclosing the at least oneelectronic component, the housing comprising: a top skin forming anouter surface of the housing; a bottom skin forming an inner surface ofthe housing and facing the at least one electronic component; and a coresandwiched by the top skin and the bottom skin; wherein the core is madefrom a first material having a first modulus of elasticity; and the topskin and the bottom skin are made from a second material having a secondmodulus of elasticity, the second modulus greater than the first;wherein the inner surface of the housing is positioned above the atleast one electronic component such that a clearance level is definedbetween the inner surface of the housing and the at least one electroniccomponent.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the firstmaterial is one of balsa wood, a closed cell foam, aluminum honeycomb,or aramid paper honeycomb and the second material is a compositematerial.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least oneelectronic is a hard drive.
 4. The electronic device of claim 1, whereinthe second material is a composite material.
 5. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the first material is a foam.
 6. The electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic component comprises afirst component and a second component; and the clearance level has afirst height defined between the first component and the inner surfaceand has a second height defined between the second component and theinner surface.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein theclearance level varies along at least one dimension of the housing.
 8. Acomputer, comprising: a processor; a display in communication with theprocessor; and an enclosure enclosing at least one of the processor orthe display, the enclosure comprising: a first skin having a firstthickness; a second skin having a second thickness; and a core having athird thickness sandwiched between the first skin and the second skin;wherein the core has is more flexible than the first skin and the secondskin and the third thickness is greater than the first thickness and thesecond thickness.
 9. The computer of claim 8, wherein the enclosurecomprises a first enclosure and a second enclosure, wherein the firstenclosure surrounds the processor and the second enclosure surrounds aportion of the display.
 10. The computer of claim 8, wherein the core isone of a foam, honeycomb material, or balsa wood.
 11. The computer ofclaim 8, wherein the enclosure has an enclosure thickness that includesthe sum of the first thickness, the second thickness, and the thirdthickness and wherein the enclosure thickness varies across a length ofthe enclosure.
 12. The computer of claim 11, wherein the third thicknessvaries across the length of the enclosure.
 13. The computer of claim 8,further comprising a plurality of internal electronic components,wherein the enclosure is spaced apart from the plurality of internalcomponents by a clearance distance.
 14. The computer of claim 13,wherein the clearance distance varies along a length of the enclosure.15. The computer of claim 8, wherein the first skin and the second skinare carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
 16. The computer of claim 8,wherein the core has a density that is lower than a density of the firstskin and the second skin.
 17. The computer of claim 8, wherein the firstskin and the second skin are the same material.
 18. An electronic devicehaving at least one electronic component, comprising: a housingenclosing the at least one electronic component, the housing comprising:a top skin and a bottom skin; and a body sandwiched by the top skin andthe bottom skin; wherein the body is made from a first material having afirst modulus of elasticity; and the top skin and the bottom skin aremade from a second material having a second modulus of elasticity, thesecond modulus greater than the first; and the top skin forms an outershell of the housing; and the bottom skin forms an inner shell of thehousing.
 19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the body islighter in weight than the top skin and the bottom skin.
 20. Theelectronic device of claim 18, wherein the body varies in cross-sectionalong an axis perpendicular to the inner shell of the housing.